In the manufacture of card carriers for transport of cards, such as credit cards, debit cards, toll passes, transportation passes, cafeteria meal cards, pre-paid vending cards, bank cards, phone cards, and the like, it is desirable to efficiently maintain and transport the card while protecting any confidential information that may be contained on the card. However in some circumstances there is non-confidential information on the card that is desirably viewed from the exterior of the carrier, without requiring the carrier to be opened up.
According to the present invention a method is provided for the construction of a card carrier having the features described above, and according to another aspect of the present invention a card carrier itself is provided having the desirable features described above. While the invention is particularly useful in association with disposable cards, which are made of paper card stock and are used only a relatively short period of time and then discarded, the invention also is applicable to plastic credit cards, debit cards, and the like.
According to one aspect of the present invention a method of making a card carrier in a simple yet effective mariner is provided. The method comprises the steps of: (a) Imaging first and second faces of paper or plastic rectangular shaped card stock having a perimeter. (b) Coating the card first face with repositional adhesive. (c) Applying a paper cover sheet over the repositional adhesive, the paper cover sheet having an exposed face. (d) Coating the exposed face with permanent pressure sensitive adhesive, to produce a blow on label. (e) Blowing the blow-on label on a first opaque carrier web having internal and external faces so that the permanent adhesive becomes adhered to the internal face of the first carrier web. (f) Providing permanent adhesive patterns on the interior face of on one or both of the first carrier web and a second opaque carrier web of approximately the same width as the first carrier web, the patterns of adhesive outside the perimeter of the rectangular shaped card. And, (g) bringing the internal faces of the first and second carrier webs into face-to-face engagement, with the card sandwiched between them, and with the permanent adhesive patterns holding the carrier plies together around the perimeter of the card.
The method may also comprise the further steps, between steps (d) and (e), of applying a release material over the permanent adhesive, taking up a plurality of blow on labels, transporting the plurality of taken up labels to a different location, taking off the ten up blow on labels, and removing the release material from the permanent adhesive. Alternatively, or in addition, the method may comprise the still further step (h) of imaging the external face of the first carrier web so thin it has indicia thereon simulating the first face of the card, and of approximately the same size and shape as the card. Steps (h) and (a) may be practiced to provide substantially the same multi-color ion deposition image on the card first face and first carrier web external face.
Typically the carrier webs are opaque, and the method comprises the further step of printing first non-confidential indicia on the card second face, and forming a cutout in the second carrier web of substantially the same size and shape as the first non-confidential indicia: and wherein step (g) is practiced to bring the cutout in the second carrier web in alignment with the first non-confidential indicia on the card second face so that the first non-confidential indicia is visible from the exterior of the second carrier web.
According to another aspect or the present invention, a card carrier for transport of a card having confidential and non-confidential indicia thereon, so that the confidential indicia is not visible, while the non-confidential indicia is visible, from the exterior of the card carrier is provided. The carrier comprises: A card, of paper or plastic card stock, having first and second faces the second face having first non-confidential indicia thereon and at least one of the faces having confidential indicia thereon, the card of generally quadrate configuration and having a first surface area of each of the faces thereof. A first opaque paper carrier ply having an external face and an internal face, the faces each having a second surface area larger than the first surface area. Repositional adhesive operatively adhered to the first carrier ply internal face in a central portion thereof, the repositional adhesive disposed within a perimeter having approximately the same size and shape as the card, and the repositional adhesive having a greater affinity for the carrier ply than the card first face. The card first face in engagement with the repositional adhesive. A second opaque carrier ply having an external face and an internal face, the faces each having approximately the second surface area, and the second ply having a cutout therein of approximately the same size and shape as the first non-confidential indicia on the card second face. Permanent adhesive patterns disposed around the periphery, of one or both of the internal faces of the first and second plies, outside of the perimeter of the repositional adhesive. The second ply disposed so that the internal face thereof is in face-to-face engagement with the card second face and the first ply internal face with the cutout aligned with the first non-confidential indicia so that the first non-confidential indicia is visible from the exterior of the carrier, and so that the permanent adhesive patterns hold the first and second carrier plies together. And, tamperproof means facilitating separation of the first and second plies to allow access to and removal of the card from the repositional adhesive and between the plies.
The confidential indicia may comprise a PIN (personal identification number imaged on the card second face remote from the first non-confidential indicia, and the first non-confidential indicia may be a control number. The carrier ply external face preferably has indicia thereon simulating the first face of the card, and of approximately the first surface area, which indicia is preferably multi-color, decorative ion deposition printed indicia. The second surface area is preferably less than twice as great as the first surface area.
The tamperproof means facilitating separation of the first and second plies comprises aligned perforation lines disposed in the first and second plies located between an edge of the card and one of the patterns of permanent adhesive. The permanent adhesive patterns comprises a plurality of spaced dots of permanent adhesive disposed along two opposite edges of on or both of the first and second plies, and a pair of permanent adhesive strips disposed along two other opposite edges of one or both of the first and second plies, the perforation lines disposed adjacent one of the adhesive strips.
Typically the repositional adhesive is affixed to a first face of an internal ply having approximately the same size and shape as the card, and wherein a second face of the internal ply is connected by permanent adhesive to the internal face of the first ply, the internal ply first face having greater affinity for the repositional adhesive than does the card first face. The card may have confidential and non-confidential indicia thereon making the card a toll pass, transportation pass, cafeteria meal card, bank card, pre-paid vending card, phone card, debit card or credit card, and the card may comprise a high gloss finish paper card stock capable of limited use before being discarded, or may be a permanent plastic type such as a conventional credit card.
The carrier may be in a web with a plurality of like carriers. The web is elongated in a first direction, and the carriers are separated within the web by perforation lines extending through both the first a first and second ply substantially perpendicular to the direction of elongation.
According to still another respect of the present invention a card carrier for transport of a card is provided comprising: A card, of paper or plastic card stock, having first and second faces, the second face having first non-confidential indicia thereon and at least one of the faces having confidential indicia thereon, the card of generally quadrate configuration and having a first surface area of each of the faces thereof. A first opaque paper carrier ply having an external face and an internal face, the faces each having a second surface area larger than the first surface area. Repositional adhesive operatively adhered to the first carrier ply internal face in a central portion thereof, the repositional adhesive disposed within a perimeter having approximately the same size and shape as the card, and the repositional adhesive having a greater affinity for the carrier ply than for the card first face. The card first face in engagement with the repositional adhesive. A second opaque carrier ply having an external face and an internal face, the faces each having approximately the second surface area. Permanent adhesive patterns disposed around the periphery of one or both of the internal faces of the first and second plies, outside of the perimeter the repositional adhesive. The second ply disposed so that the internal face thereof is in face-to-face engagement with the card second the and the first ply internal face, and so that the permanent adhesive proteins hold the first and second carrier plies together. And, wherein the first carrier ply external face has indicia thereon simulating the first face of the card, and of approximately the first surface area.
It is the primary object of the present invention to effect the simple and advantageous production of a card carrier for transport of a phone card, debit card, credit card, or the like. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.